Blessed Emeline of Yèvres lived as a 12th-century hermit

Blessed Emeline, also known as Emeline of Yèvres, was a religious figure who lived in the Champagne region of France during the 12th century. Operating near the Abbey of Boulancourt in what is now the Haute-Marne department, she lived a life of extreme austerity as a lay sister near the Perthes-Sèches granary.

Though she was not an official Cistercian nun, she adhered to the Cistercian spirit of poverty, prayer, and manual labor. Local tradition describes her as practicing intense penance, including walking barefoot in all seasons, wearing a hairshirt, and eating only three times per week. She was noted for her reputation of holiness and purported gifts of prophecy, including a prediction regarding an injury to Simon de Beaufort.

According to local tradition and Cistercian records, Emeline died in 1178. She was originally interred under the altar of the convent of the Ladies, which was attached to the Abbey of Boulancourt. Following the destruction of the chapel, her remains were moved to the church of Boulancourt alongside those of Saint Asceline and Saint Gossuin.